


A Well Rounded Duo

by AlinoValiant (UnknownDude)



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Inflation, One Shot, Scuba Diving, Suit Inflation, Treasure Hunting, Underwater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 23:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10604346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownDude/pseuds/AlinoValiant
Summary: After their last underwater escapade, Terry and Maul venture the blue ocean waters again for further riches and wealth. They also discover a new hobby to enjoy together.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to Happy as a Clam. Highly NOT recommended if you hate suit/air inflation. That is all.

In an isolated abode somewhere in Water Land, Terry the yellow-shelled Koopa Troopa had just woken up from a nice, refreshing nap. His close friend Maul, who was a Hammer Brother with a black shell, was absent, selling the treasures (largely consisting of colored gems and jewelry) that they had recently uncovered from their underwater venture. Terry decided to watch some television in order to pass the time. He sat upon the sofa with a piece of garlic toast on a plate.

Being displayed on the television was a cartoon (a short, really) about two anthropomorphic characters: a snow-white cat named Celia and a black dog called Rufus. Today's episode had Celia going to the ocean for some scuba diving action. She donned a black diving suit, a pair of boots, and the old-fashioned helmet that had the hose linked to an oxygen pumping machine. Rufus the dog – on his hind legs - strolled the shore a distance away. As soon as he saw Celia jumping into the water, a clever, devious expression appeared on his face.

Chuckling to himself, he casually ambled toward the oxygen machine. Rufus shifted his eyes left and right, as if making certain that no one was in plain sight for the act he was about to commit. He pressed the button next to the 'Turbo Charge' setting. The prankish canine watched the device spit out a large ball of air, which expanded and stretched the grey hose along its travel; it then stopped at the connection to Celia's helmet, creaking and rumbling with transparent foreboding. The unfortunate white cat realized her situation at the very last second before her scuba suit swelled to spherical proportions. She floated to the ocean surface and bobbed on the waters helplessly.

Rufus the crafty dog grinned widely. He was obviously pleased by what he had done. He laid back to his ease while Celia, rolling her eyes as a visual groan of annoyance, continued being a buoyant ball. Her black diving suit grew a little larger and rounder from a second burst of oxygen, causing her limbs to become absorbed into the suit. Celia sighed, knowing well that she would be stuck like this for a while. The short animation concluded here.

"Hmm, that cat's suit really got huge," commented Terry, finishing the last of his garlic toast. "What a slapstick gag. That gave me an idea though, and Maul isn't here yet..."

He thought it over for a minute. Sure of his decision, Terry searched the closet for his scuba suit (yellow), helmet and the air pump. Once everything was set, the yellow Koopa Troopa turned on the machine. He felt his diving suit grow at a gradual pace. The air hissing inside his suit tickled him and conveyed a warm sensation that was atypical, yet sublime. Terry stood on the spot as his scuba suit assumed a big, round shape, aesthetically delightful to his vision. Setting the air pump to a low setting via the remote knob on his helmet, Terry began to waddle around the (thankfully spacious) living room.

"Being inflated in a suit is so sweet," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'm just glad Maul is not here to see me this way. I better not take too long."

"Having fun, Terry?"

Frozen with pure shock, Terry found Maul at the door, who held a bag in one hand. From the jingling sounds, it likely contained money. The yellow Koopa became shy and even somewhat ashamed.

"Oh no, no, no. Go outside for five more minutes, please..."

"Why should I?" said Maul, shrugging his shoulders. "I already know."

"Yeah, but still, it's an invasion of my privacy."

"I'm not gonna make fun of you. It's totally fine if you wanna inflate your suit for the hell of it. What made you do it?"

"I was watching a cartoon earlier," said Terry. "This cat wanted to go scuba diving, and this dog character messed with her air pump and blew up her diving suit. You should've seen it. She was massive."

Maul nodded his head. "Ohhhh."

The black-shelled Hammer Brother felt sorry for interrupting his friend's 'privacy'. He wanted to assure Terry, offer him a way to disarm the discomforting vibe brought upon him.

"Can I join you, Terry?" Maul asked, wearing a sportive grin.

"Join me?" Terry repeated in slight confusion.

"Yeah, you know, I wanna inflate my diving suit with you. Come on, it'll be more fun with me around. Besides, I love how big and ball-shaped you are. You're so cute as a balloon."

The unexpected remark caused Terry to blush.

"Okay, Maul," he said with a rush of affection for his friend, "sure thing."

And so, Maul wore his scuba suit (black) and inflated it, turning into a puffy globe of air like Terry. He was intentionally a tad bigger than him. He rubbed the sides of his bloated suit.

"Now this is fun," Maul stated while waddling toward Terry. "Everything okay so far?"

"Yeah... If it was anyone other than you, I would've died of sheer embarrassment. You gotta admit, it's kind of a peculiar hobby."

"Ah, I'm not gonna think about that. I wanna have fun."

"But don't you agree that inflating our suits for no real reason is questionable?" Terry went on.

"Maybe, but why should it concern you and me?" Maul said carelessly. "Look at us. We're large, round and happy, and that's all that matters. No one else knows but us."

"I guess you're right. Better to live for the present. It's only harmless amusement, right?"

Maul the Hammer Brother grunted. He leaned against Terry, their puffy suits cushioned into each other like pillows. They sighed contentedly and remained silent for some time.

"By the way," said Terry, "how did the sales go? Did you sell all the treasures?"

"I sure did," said Maul with happiness. "Scored coins worth thousands in value. I say we go on another scuba diving adventure so that we can find more treasure."

"As long as it brings us the moolah, that's fine with me. What happens if we encounter another monster like that frenzied clam? He nearly finished me off."

"We can probably escape the same way we did last time. I'll protect you, Terry, no worries. A Hammer Brother always has his hammers with him at all times. Now let's enjoy ourselves, shall we?"

The two Koopas shared an embrace, or rather they rested on each other. With inflated scuba suits, they could not do much in terms of movement.

* * *

Terry and Maul arrived at the shores of the Water Land ocean, dressed in their underwater diving gear.

"You ready?" asked Maul.

"Just about," said Terry, examining the air device. "Do you think we'll find more riches today?"

"We might. If we do, I'll split the money with you as usual, fifty-fifty."

"I wish I could fight like you though..."

Maul understood what Terry meant by that. He offered him one of his hammers.

"You catch sight of any baddies, you bash 'em until they bleed out. I'm always around to help you."

Terry smiled. "Thank you, but I still wish I didn't have to rely on you for combat support."

"I'm your friend," said Maul seriously. "I wanna back you up at all times. Come on, let's dive. Swim close to me if you want."

So the two Koopas strolled into the ocean waters. Schools of fish – including Cheep Cheeps - made their way past the pair, as well as a Blooper accompanied by Blooper Babies. The occasional Lava Lotus spewed fireballs at Terry and Maul. Evading these projectiles accordingly, they navigated the deeper sections of the Water Land ocean, staying alert for any treasure chests along the floor.

"Nothing here," Terry reported as he searched around.

"Don't be discouraged," said Maul. "We'll find something sooner or later."

They did discover a couple of Coin Blocks, so it wasn't all bad. One of them was tangled by a nasty clump of seaweed. The effort in clearing out this dense algae had been worth it; Terry and Maul acquired some blue coins, worth more than yellow coins (one blue coin equals five yellow coins). The underwater quest for treasure continued until an hour later. The duo resurfaced with decent results: numerous yellow coins, blue coins, various small gems and a shiny pearl snatched from an unsuspecting clam (not the same clam that attacked Terry and Maul).

"Not bad, not bad," commented Maul, "but I did expect a little better. Oh well."

"I despise those Lava Lotuses," Terry said in a whiny tone. "Don't know how many times I was almost burnt by them. I lost count. Our suits aren't flame retardant."

"Actually, they are. But you're okay, though?"

"Oh yeah. So what should we do now? Go back for another round?"

Maul became pensive for a moment.

"I'd like to push our luck, although it's up to you. I think we did all right for today."

It was agreed that they would try again. Terry and Maul entered the deep ocean and resumed their quest for further wealth. However, to their disappointment, no more treasure was discovered. The sun had begun descending by the time they came back.

"There's always next time, dude," Maul told Terry. "Why don't we rest for a bit before packing for home? It's pretty far away on foot."

While the pair of Koopas observed the sunset as relaxation, a wandering Bandit in light-blue noticed the medium-sized hoard of loot. A hungry smirk etched the lips of his mask.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here? And those stooges have their backs turned. Good!"

But then the Bandit took note of Terry and Maul; they were still wearing their scuba equipment, and the thief couldn't help eyeing the hoses connected to the oxygen device...

As quick as the wind, the Bandit inflated their suits by adjusting the speed setting to 'Lightning-fast'. He stole everything he could and laughed manically when Terry and Maul wrenched themselves around with a lot of humiliating difficulty. The Bandit poked their spheres for suits to mock them.

"Ha ha ha! Now you're both full of hot air! Thanks for the easy loot, suckers! Time is money, so smell ya later!"

"There goes our stuff," said Terry sadly. "We're not going anywhere while we're a pair of scuba balloons."

"Challenge accepted," said a solemn Maul.

He aimed his hammer at the retreating Bandit and threw it. Like a homing shot, the hammer smashed the back of the Bandit's head, kayoing him stupid. Terry and Maul deflated the air out of their diving suits first before recovering their treasure. They returned home as nightfall crept in.

"Amazing shot back there, Maul," Terry blurted out. "How did you do that?"

"Years of practice," the black-shelled Hammer Brother replied. "It's all in the wrist and flick."

"Well, that thief got what he deserved."

"He sure did. His plan to immobilize us backfired, didn't it? Can you sort out our loot? I gotta check the fridge and see what's for dinner."

What Maul really did was reconnect the hose to Terry's helmet and turn the remote knob on the side of his helmet. The device pumped out a wad of oxygen and expanded Terry's yellow scuba suit.

"Maul!" Terry was far more playful than annoyed. "What was that for, man?"

"I didn't do nothin'," Maul said mysteriously.

"It's okay, Maul. Did you truly mean what you said about me looking cute this way?"

A scarlet blush materialized on Maul's face. He rubbed his forearm. Terry stared at him rather coyly, awaiting an answer.

"For real," the Hammer Brother said. "Do you wanna inflate my suit? We can count the treasure later."

In the same fashion, Terry adjusted the knob on Maul's diving helmet. His black scuba suit became wonderfully sizable and spherical, and slightly more swollen than Terry's. Smiling at one another, they pushed their blown-up suits together and cuddled. The oxygen device went on quietly in the background, feeding their ballooned diving suits with a low, constant flow of air. Terry and Maul were in bliss, and it occurred to them that they should perform such an eccentric activity more often. It gave the Koopas an indescribable euphoria beyond normal means of understanding.

Their treasure laid on the table, forgotten and neglected.


End file.
